Dominguez Presses vs. Caruana In Accurate Opening Round

Each competitor opened the Sinquefield Cup 2023 with a balanced and accurate performance on Tuesday. Though every clash ultimately ended in a draw, GM Leinier Dominguez gained attacking chances and pressed in the ending vs. GM Fabiano Caruana while GMs Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Anish Giri were a move short of checkmating each other. 

The Sinquefield Cup continues with round two on Wednesday, November 22, at 2:30 p.m. ET/20:30 CET/1 a.m. IST.

Standings After Round 1

The Sinquefield Cup is the final event of the Grand Chess Tour and the strongest international classical tournament in the U.S. After months of competitive effort, the players meet for one last clash.

Just seven points away from the 2800 mark in live ratings, Caruana tops the field and has all but secured this year's GCT championship. After his victories at the Superbet Classic Romania and the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, he leads the tour by an almost uncatchable 11 points. With 13 points for clear first as the maximum amount available, Caruana would have to unexpectedly finish last or second to last for his closest rivals to have a chance to surpass him. 

However, the fight for qualification for the 2024 Candidates is alive and well. There is one spot up for grabs for the highest rated player (who hasn't already qualified) on the January 2024 list, and three competitors lead the race: GM Alireza Firouzja beginning the event at 2762.8, GM Anish Giri at 2754.2, and GM Wesley So at 2752. 

The other remaining Candidates spot, via the FIDE Circuit, is also in play, with Giri (84.31) currently leading that race, but So (78.84) just over five points behind. GM Gukesh Dommaraju (79.50) is between them, but doesn't play in St. Louis. 

In addition to the Grand Chess Tour mainstays, GMs Levon Aronian and Dominguez finish off the field as the home court wild cards. 

Levon Aronian is ready for #SinquefieldCup!
🙂@LevAronian #grandchesstour pic.twitter.com/z3Uq0xPUs6

— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) November 20, 2023

The evening before the tournament, the players had a dinner together along with the organizers. 

Rapport vs. Nepomniachtchi

Since the 2023 World Championship when GM Richard Rapport helped GM Ding Liren win as his second, GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi and Rapport have developed a rivalry with each other. Their game today, however, was rather uneventful.

Coming straight from the European Team Championship in Budva, Montenegro, Rapport traveled 25 hours to reach St. Louis, missing the pre-tournament dinner and arriving without much time to reset before round one. Eager to get some much-needed rest, Rapport was glad to get a solid opening position. The players drew by move 35. 

GM Richard Rapport gave a quick interview about the game today and how he is trying to recover from the 25-hour flight to Saint Louis!#grandchesstour #SinquefieldCup #chess pic.twitter.com/7iMXHoO1Qh

— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) November 21, 2023

So vs. Firouzja

When So opted for a fashionable yet low-risk variation in the QGD, Firouzja equalized without any trouble: "I think after 12...e5, I comfortably equalized, because if he takes the pawn, there's always compensation here... He was taking his time here, and I think trying to even bail out."

So also reflected on the game: "In modern chess, in order to win games, you need your opponent to make mistakes or you need to get a good position out of the opening, and today I didn't get too much."

Giri vs. Duda

Duda chose the road less travelled with 10...a5!? vs. Giri's Berlin, leading to a game with both players attacking each other's kings in the endgame. With both sides one move away from delivering a final blow, the game ended in a double-edged perpetual. 

Vachier-Lagrave vs. Aronian

Aronian and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave tried to outfox each other in the opening. As Aronian described: "I think we were trying to surprise each other. Maybe I managed to surprise him slightly more with …Qd5—it’s a little bit of a rare move."

Considering their 46 head-to-head games, Aronian shared his feelings on his longtime opponent: "It’s always interesting to play against Maxime. He’s always fighting. He’s one of the players that I like playing against because he’s giving chances. He’s one of the guys that’s not settling for boring games.”

Dominguez vs. Caruana

Caruana seemed more comfortable out of the opening and gained a considerable time edge by the middlegame. Yet, Dominguez managed to create attacking chances on the kingside and traded this advantage for an extra pawn in the ending. Their tussle is our Game of the Day, with analysis by GM Rafael Leitao below.

Results - Round 1

Pairings - Round 2

How to watch the 2023 Sinquefield Cup

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